A member of the Ku Klux Klan is nestled with his wife in their bed. As they spoon, a soothing love song adorns their pillow talk. They whisper sweet nothings about killing n—ers and dreaming of a better tomorrow.
This is one of several unsettling scenes in Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman.” And it’s not just because of the language. The scene isn’t staged as a laughable parody, but as the genuine sentiment of two ordinary, real Americans who have internalized their hate so much that to them, it feels normal.
“BlacKkKlansman” shines a light on how violent racism and prejudice becomes institutionalized and normalized. But Lee also gives some hope, despite a bittersweet ending and a grim coda that invokes the Charlottesville riots of last year, that positive change can be embraced as well.
He does it through a film that’s as radical as it is traditional. It’s as much a wake up call and blatant parable for 2018 as it is a subtle indictment of the world beyond Trump’s America. With any luck, “BlacKkKlansman” will rattle some cages and startle people into action. But Lee’s managed to do it with as entertaining and compelling a movie as he’s made in decades. Continue reading “BlacKkKlansman”